


Konoha North University (Pre-College)

by hosheep



Series: Konoha North University [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Brotherly Bonding, Childhood Trauma, Gang Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Loss of Parent(s), Minor Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Parent Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-16
Updated: 2008-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-24 22:36:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20366236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hosheep/pseuds/hosheep
Summary: A collection of 50 drabbles covering Uchiha Sasuke's life as a college student at Konoha North University, with dabbles of flashbacks as his life as a child growing up with only his brother Itachi and his babysitter, Kakashi.





	1. Blood & Teras

Blood & Tears

A chilling, eerie scream sounded through the silent night air. Gun shots followed, cutting the bone-chilling screech off.

Uchiha Sasuke sat frozen in his seat at the kitchen table. His eyes widened when his brain registered the scream; unfortunately for him, it belonged to someone he knew like the back of his hand. His mother's.

Sasuke took one glance up at Kakashi, his babysitter, before bolting out of his chair and hurrying out of the manor.

“Sasuke, wait! It's too dangerous!” The light-haired teen hurried after the panicked child, coming to a stop at the end of the hallway and glanced around the corner only to find the door wide open and no Sasuke in sight. Cursing, Kakashi ducked back into the house to call the police and report the gunshots before chasing after the little troublemaker.

  
Outside, the streets were pitch black, fragments of glass surrounding each light post, signaling that they had been knocked out. The small Uchiha swallowed hard at the awaiting darkness, trembling slightly.

Another round of gunshots echoed through the streets and right into Sasuke's ears, causing him to freeze once more. His trembling became more noticeable, even as he forced his body to continue moving forward. Swallowing once more, his legs finally succumbed to his command and broke into a run, following the sound of a third round of gunshots.

  
Up ahead, Sasuke spotted beams of light – flashlights – fleeing from one of the alleyways, he guessed, as the sounds of sirens quickly drew closer. Sasuke stopped just out of sight, watching as several men scrambled into a single van. The lights flashed on suddenly, temporarily blinding the small Uchiha, who had stopped in the middle of the street.

“Nnh...” Sasuke flinched, bringing up his arms to shield himself from the intense headlights. A screeching sound then ran through the streets, causing Sasuke's head to snap up and away from his arms. Ebony eyes widened in horror as the van in front of him picked up speed, heading right for him. He stood, frozen, as he waited for his life to be taken from him abruptly.

But, that was not to happen. The van made a sharp turn to the right, speeding down another alleyway to escape. Sasuke fell down to his knees, panting for breath. Slowly, he glanced in the direction from which the men had emerged from before getting onto shaky feet, walking toward the alley.

Hearing the shuffle of feet making their way towards him, he raised his gun and pointed at the corner from which the figure emerged.

“A-Aniki...?” Sasuke took a small step back when he saw the gun pointed directly between his eyes, the flashlight of the body not five feet from the boy providing enough light for him to make out his brother's features.

“Sasuke... Why are you here.” The voice was sharp as Itachi lowered his gun, revealing the blood staining his face. Sasuke said nothing and stared at the blood covering Itachi's face, eyes cautiously moving lower to the ground.

There they were. Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, bloodied and dead, several bullet holes defiling their bodies.

“'Tou-san! 'Kaa-san!” Sasuke rushed toward them, wanting to be with them--

“Don't get any closer, Sasuke!” Itachi snapped, eyes gaining a dark light. Sasuke stopped immediately, eyes widening, not expecting his beloved brother to raise his voice at him nor to give him such an unwanted look.

“Wh-What happened, nii-san...? 'Tou-san and 'kaa-san are...” His voice shook, as did his body, as he stared at the motionless forms of his parents. How he wanted them to open their eyes and assure him that they would be okay; that they would be taken to the hospital and get the best treatment available and be back on their feet in two-to-six weeks. How he longed...

“We were ambushed. They knew which route we were taking to the banquet.” Was the simple, matter-of-factly reply given. No emotion leaked into his voice or face. Itachi had witnessed his parents' murders and yet he sat there, completely unaffected by the night's events.

The child shook his head slowly, unable to take in all of the information at once. It was just too much for him. Hearing his mother's scream, the gunshots... and now, being faced with their corpses...

Sasuke feel to his hands and knees, starting to feel feint. The sounds of the sirens that he had heard on his way to the alley grew nearer. The last thing that Sasuke remembered seeing was the alley suddenly becoming bright before blacking out.


	2. Lullabies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place before the murders of Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku.

Sasuke let out a yawn, pausing his video game to raise a hand up sleepily at an eye. Despite it still being early, Sasuke had gotten himself tired while playing his video games.  
  
Itachi, who sat not far from him while reading a book, marked his page before closing said book. Setting it aside on he table, Itachi got out of his chair and walked over to the sleepy Uchiha, kneeling down beside him to ruffle his hair.  
  
“Come on, Sasuke. Time for bed. Mother and Father will be home when you wake up in the morning.” Sasuke huffed slightly and simply resumed his game. Itachi mentally counted the seconds before Sasuke let out another yawn.  
  
He chuckled softly as he watched the child fight off another yawn and reached over to turn the game and TV off.  
  
“Nii-san! I can still stay up!” Sasuke huffed, glaring at Itachi for ending his game prematurely.  
  
“Tell you what,” Itachi pulled the pouty child onto his feet and offered a small smile, “I'll read you a story if you go to bed now.” As expected, Sasuke immediately brightened up at the offer and turned to go get ready for bed.  
  
Shaking his head, amused, Itachi stood up and followed Sasuke into his room to grab the child's favorite book from underneath a pile of other books and toys.  
  
Sasuke, teeth brushed and now in his pajamas, bounced onto his bed as his older brother took his seat on the edge of it. He gave an innocent smile for the mischievous action and obediently climbed under the covers.  
  
Itachi waited until Sasuke was settled before poking his forehead playfully and opened the book in his hands as if he had done absolutely nothing and read aloud.  
  
It didn't take long before the child dell asleep, if even a few pages. Itachi looked up from the book and allowed himself another small smile, watching Sasuke's peaceful face as the boy slept.  
  
“Good night, otouto.” He murmured softly, leaning over to place a light kiss on Sasuke's temple before getting up to leave the room, turning the lights off as he went.


	3. Reaching Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Blood & Tears.

Sasuke let out a soft sigh as he waited at the front door for Itachi’s return. Kakashi didn’t seem to mind or care, as he was currently in the living room reading. The child held his favorite plushie to his chest and stared at the door, willing it to open.  
  
Sasuke’s silent plea would be answered not even three minutes later as the door opened, revealing an exhausted Itachi. As per usual, Sasuke got up and immediately hugged his brother around the waist in greeting.  
  
Itachi simply glanced down at the child, patted him on the head, and detached him from his waist to remove his shoes without so much as a word. Sasuke watched for a moment before opening his mouth to ask a question, but Itachi spoke before it had the chance to be voiced.  
  
"Not today, Sasuke." With that said Itachi slipped on his slippers and silently made his way to his room, from which he would not leave until morning.  
  
It had been like this since their parents had been murdered. Itachi would work part-time at the police station to provide for Sasuke, then came home and went to his room to do his homework. A month had already passed since the cycle had started, and Sasuke was missing his brother.  
  
Sulking, Sasuke went into the kitchen to grab the tray that contained Itachi’s dinner and carefully carried it upstairs, plushie neatly tucked underneath an arm. Once there, the child knocked on Itachi’s door with his foot, unable to use his occupied hands.  
  
"Come and sit it on the table, Sasuke." The knock had been too soft to be Kakashi. Actually, since when did the babysitter even bother to do such a task?  
  
Sasuke shot a glare at the door before nudging it open with his foot. Once inside, he obediently sat the tray on t he table beside the teen’s desk. However, he did not move to leave.  
  
After five minutes of Sasuke not moving, Itachi decided to speak up, "I will eat when I am finished with this paper, Sasuke." The only response he got from his younger brother was the shake of his head.  
  
"I can’t play with you today. Go ask Kakashi."  
  
"I don’t want Kakashi." Came the muttered reply.  
  
Itachi said nothing, opting to focus on his work than argue with his little brother.  
  
"…" Sasuke hated being ignored. It made him feel unwanted.  
  
Glancing over at Itachi, Sasuke waited until the teen switched papers before climbing into his lap, ignoring the look he got from Itachi.  
  
"What are you doing." Sasuke decided not to answer that, choosing to simply cuddle closer, head against chest, than speak to Itachi at the moment.  
  
Sighing in defeat, the teen decided to indulge the stubborn child just this once and resumed his work.


	4. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Blood & Tears, before Reaching Out.

Kakashi sighed as he opened the door to Itachi and Sasuke’s hospital room. He had heard the scream and gunshots, but he still could not believe that the yakuza had managed to not only kill Uchiha Fugaku, police chief, and his wife, Mikoto, but injure the Uchiha clan’s prodigy as well.  
  
Kakashi closed the door behind him and looked Itachi over; well, if he could sit up and read a book that was good. Dark grey eyes shifted from the teenager to the unconscious Sasuke.  
  
"Sasuke will be fine,” Itachi spoke up, marking his page in the book a fellow family member had brought him. “He just fainted.”  
  
A sigh of relief could be heard as the silver-haired man made his way to Itachi’s bedside, sitting himself down in the chair. “How are your injuries?”  
  
“Just shot in the leg.” The younger teen replied, as if unfazed by what happened just hours ago.  
  
“When will you be released?”  
  
“Tomorrow, along with Sasuke.”  
  
“I’ll come by and take you home then.”  
  
“Hn.”  
  
And come by the following day he did. The release forms had already been signed and wheelchair rented. Sasuke sat sleeping in Itachi’s lap as Kakashi rolled the siblings out of the hospital.  
  
“The doctors found something interesting during my stay.” Kakashi couldn’t help but frown down at Itachi. This caught Sasuke’s attention as well, drifting in and out of consciousness.  
  
“Like?” The tone of the older teen’s voice held a hint of seriousness, while Itachi’s still remained calm, casual even, like the news didn’t concern him at all.  
  
“I have a terminal disease and will need to take medicine from now on.” Yes, his voice was too casual for the subject.  
  
“Sasuke won’t be happy to hear that.”  
  
“Sasuke doesn’t have to know. No one does.”  
  
Oh, but he now knew. The conversation pulled him further away from the blissfulness of sleep. Itachi was sick – something that was not caught before – and his life was sought after by the yakuza. Sasuke didn’t like it.  
  
What if something happened to Itachi? What if he was out of medicine when he needed it most, and they couldn’t afford a refill? What if the yakuza ambushed him like they did their parents?  
  
Countless ‘what ifs’ continued to run through the child’s mind and he gripped at his brother’s shirt. He didn’t like this. He wanted his brother to be safe.  
  
Itachi rubbed Sasuke’s back soothingly, trying to get him to relax.  
  
Safe was no longer an option.


	5. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Reaching Out

Uchiha Sasuke hated winter because of how cold it got. Hatake Kakashi, his babysitter, knew this, and decided to show him how fun winter could really be.  
  
“How can a foot of snow be 'fun'?” Sasuke asked, huffing as Kakashi pulled the blue hoodie over his head and handed him a jacket.  
  
“Well, we could have a snowball fight,” Kakashi suggested casually, pulling out gloves and a snow cap. The Uchiha perked up a little at the thought, “but you still wouldn't be able to touch me.” It was obvious the teen was smiling behind his scarf.  
  
  
Once outside, Sasuke stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets and gave the snow a kick. The whole neighborhood was a sheet of white with hardly any specks of color, aside from the two of them.  
  
“Let's build a snowman, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, Kakashi walked past the ten-year-old to start the base. Sasuke blinked after and followed his babysitter, curiosity spiked. Since when did 'Kakashi' and the term 'snowman' go together?  
  
The silver-haired teen hummed an innocent tune as he packed snow into a growing, tight ball in the palm of his gloved hand. Shrugging, Sasuke grabbed a handful of white powder and began to do the same. He was getting chilly just standing and watching anyway. Might as well get some blood flowing.  
  
After about an hour later, both Kakashi and Sasuke got the three vast snowballs stacked atop one another. Sasuke tried not to fidget to keep warm while Kakashi decorated the nude, faceless snowman. He couldn't help but stare as Kakashi unraveled his scarf and placed it onto the snowman's head, followed by a single eye and a patch.   
  
Seeing Kakashi the Snowman just looked... ridiculous. For once, the Uchiha had the urge to laugh. As if knowing this, the teen continued his task, sticking two long sticks on each side to give the snowman arms.  
  
“How is it looking so far, Sasuke?” Kakashi asked, adding in buttons for the shirt.  
  
“It looks too bald to be you.” Muscles that hadn't been used in two years tugged and pulled, a small smile now gracing Sasuke's lips.  
  
Kakashi glanced back at the boy and smiled. Seeing the same from Sasuke had been his desired effect all along.


	6. Glints in your eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Reaching Out, before Snow.

Kakashi stopped walking when he realized that Sasuke wasn't following him. They were on their way home from grocery shopping when Sasuke noticed an advertisement on the brick wall of a building for martial arts classes.  
  
The teen looked back at Sasuke and followed his gaze, “You want to learn martial arts?” Blinking, Sasuke looked away from the piece of paper and ahead at his babysitter, nodding. Kakashi said nothing else and simply kept walking, leaving the boy to sprint in order to catch up.  
  
Several minutes of silence passed before Kakashi asked, “Why do you want to learn martial arts, Sasuke?” He glanced down at the boy, waiting for an answer.  
  
Sasuke glanced up at him, nothing but determination showing in ebony eyes, “So nii-san doesn't always fight and worry about me. I don't want anything to happen to him because of me.” So he knew about Itachi's condition. The answer was a dead giveaway on that.  
  
Allowing himself a small smile, Kakashi reached down and ruffled the boy's hair, “All right. I'll teach you, Sasuke, but I won't go easy on you.”


	7. Scars & Burns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Glints in your Eye.

Sasuke ducked into the bushes to avoid his annoying fanclub that chased after him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as they all continued to run, chasing after nothing. He really needed to find a way home, and staying after with Itachi at the high school was out of the question. His fanclub was worse, and he didn't even want to think about the two combined... not to mention that two of his friends, Sasori and Deidara, had their own, albeit it smaller, fanclubs as well. Four combined would be absolute hell.  
  
Seeing that the coast was clear, Sasuke stepped fully through the bushes and onto the other side, stopping to get a look at his new surroundings. It wasn't that much different than the side that he had emerged from, though it was more run-down. That didn't surprise him at all, since the city has a problem with the yakuza and gangs. It was to be expected.  
  
Shrugging, the teen continued on his way home. Upon hearing voices ahead, he slowed. He stopped short of the concrete wall that turned around the corner and listened.  
  
“Oi, Hagashii~ Wake up, I'm hungry.” Said a whiny voice. A snort and snore could be heard from the person Sasuke assumed was called 'Hagashii.' Something about the name seemed vaguely familiar.  
  
“Just leave him.” said a female's voice, “It's a pain in the ass to wake him every time we need to move.”  
  
“He isn't always asleep, though, Yuyu~”  
  
'Yuyu' scowled, “I told you not to call me that, Henshi. My name's Yuu.” A laugh could be heard.  
  
“Hush. We have company.” Sasuke tensed. He didn't mean to get himself caught. Acting as casually as possible, Sasuke pushed himself silently off the wall and started back the way he came, only to have several yards of steel wire wrap around him and pull him back to and around the corner, causing him to stumble.  
  
“What, it's just a kid with a duck ass.” Yuu smirked at the captured Sasuke, who turned and shot here a glare.  
  
Henshi frowned and got to his feet, stepping over Hagashii's legs and approached the Uchiha, “Ne, doesn't he look familiar?” He asked, kneeling down in front of Sasuke and took his chin into his hand, observing.  
  
Scowling, Sasuke wrenched his face away from Henshi's hand, “I don't know what the hell you're talking about.”  
  
“Hn. He does look like Itachi.” He froze at that. “Probably his brat brother that we nearly ran over that night.” Henshi glanced over his shoulder, “We? That was you and your poor driving skills, Chishio~” He snickered.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he listened to their conversation. Itachi. Nearly ran over. His memory instantly brought up the flashes of that night, of the van that almost ran smack into his lithe body, of his bloodied brother and dead parents.  
  
It couldn't be.  
  
There was no way.  
  
“What was the brat's name again?” Yuu asked, pushing herself off of the railing she had been resting on and making her way over to the shocked Uchiha, “Sasuke, right?” He looked up at his name, forcing his eyes to narrow. Part of his was scared that he had stumbled upon the people that had killed his parents, since they would most likely do the same to him. He was an Uchiha, after all, and his father had led the case against the people before him. No one else touched it since then, of course, for fear of their own lives and family.  
  
Not that it mattered. Itachi said they were after the entire clan. They were just first on the list.  
  
“Hyuu~ What luck we have.” Henshi turned back to Sasuke and gave a sadistic smirk, “I'm willing to put my ramen on hold for this.”  
  
Like Sasuke would give in that easily. Acting quickly, he leaned back and kicked Henshi in the face, who simply tilted his head back to dodge.  
  
The wires tightened in retaliation, cutting through his uniform and starting to dug into his skin. Sasuke bit down on the inside of his cheek before he could flinch and tugged on them, trying to see if he could loosen them without the aide of a knife. No such luck.  
  
Chuckling, Henshi got to his feet and dug his foot into Sasuke's abdomen, pressing down with the heel of his foot. A silent gasp left the teen's parted lips and immediately tried to knock him off. He was kicked hard in the ribs for that, sending him rolling towards Chishio and skidding to a halt.  
  
_'Fuck...'_ Ebony eyes narrowed as Sasuke moved quickly, trapping one of Chishio's legs between his feet and pulling, causing him to lose his balance. The wires loosened as consequence, and Sasuke took the chance to free himself, quickly getting to his feet.  
  
Chishio cursed and pulled his wire taut, trying to trap Sasuke once more. Unfortunately for him, that was not to happen, as Sasuke had already moved away from the sharp threads. He had to be careful if he didn't want to be severely cut by them. Best to avoid Chishio for now.  
  
“Heh. Think you're such a hot shot? Your father thought that and look where it got him,” Yuu taunted, smirking.  
  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, clenching his teeth. He could feel the anger boil within him, growing more intense with each mention of his family. If they thought that he would just break down and cry or run home crying for Itachi, they were way wrong.  
  
No, they were in for one hell of a beating.  
  
Sasuke would get his revenge.  
  
In an instant, Sasuke was in front of Yuu, arm drawn back before releasing in a punch to the gut. Yuu let out a cough and grabbed his wrist before he could pull away.  
  
“Don't you know it's not nice to hit a lady?” Here red eyes narrowed and kicked Sasuke hard in the stomach, sending him flying back against the wall.  
  
He coughed as he hit the hard wall, tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth. Fuck, that hurt.  
  
He didn't have much time to dwell on the latest blow before he was forced to quickly move out of the way, narrowly missing several senbon that had been aimed for his pressure points. Wonderful. Ebony eyes darted from Henshi, to Yuu, to Chishio, and back again. His mind raced to come up with a plan that would successfully get him away from these three for the time being.  
  
No, he was not running away.  
  
Uchiha Sasuke did not run from a fight. He knew, however, that now as not the best time to fight them.  
  
He snapped out of his thoughts as his ears picked up on the screeching wire winding around his foot, quickly glancing down.  
  
Chishio yanked on the tightening wire hard, pulling Sasuke down and off of feet. The teen cringed as his head met the concrete, and he wouldn't doubt that he was now bleeding. His vision swam momentarily as he heard one of the three approach him.  
  
Then all stopped as the sound of sirens cut through the area, drawing a curse from the gang members. Sasuke sat up slowly and watched as Chishio withdrew his wire, Henshi gather Hagashii's sleeping body, and Yuu collect their belongings before the three disappeared.  
  
Sasuke fell back down with a groan, wincing as he hit his head on the concrete.  
  
  
From that day forward, Sasuke would catch the gang and fight them. It would end with the police on their way or one beat up Uchiha slowly picking himself up.  
  
Itachi was not pleased with Sasuke finding them. His displeasure grew whenever Sasuke needed to be taken to the hospital on numerous occasions.


	8. Heaven or Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Scars & Burns.

“Hey, Itachi, what's for din--” Sasuke stopped in his tracks in the middle of the staircase, eying both his and Itachi's schoolbags resting against the railing. Hadn't he just put his bag on his bed prior to using the bathroom to wash the dirt off his face?  
  
“Grab your bag, Sasuke. We're leaving.” Itachi casually picked his bag up and made his way toward the front door. Sasuke watched him for a moment before running down the stairs to catch up with him, grabbing his arm to stop his brother in his tracks.  
  
“Leaving? Leaving where? We just got home!” What the hell was Itachi talking about? Didn't he have to go to work in a few minutes, anyway? Why was he acting like he didn't have the need to?  
  
Itachi shifted to regard his little brother coolly over his shoulder, unphased by the hand around his upper arm above the elbow. He could see the ferocity that lingered from Sasuke's lasted fight, though now it was joined by confusion.   
  
After what seemed like several long minutes to the younger teen, Itachi finally spoke, “This place is no longer home. We are moving immediately.”   
  
Sasuke scowled and opened his mouth to protest, but Itachi gave him a stern look that offered no room for argument. So, instead, he did what he did best: he glared.  
  
Itachi moved so that he was fully facing Sasuke, shrugging the hand off of him in the process, before reaching down to grab his chin. He smirked at how his little brother automatically tensed at the contact.  
  
“You will grab your bag and will meet me at the car. Understand?” Itachi was bemused at how defiant Sasuke had gotten, and could clearly see it in his eyes. Though, instead of continuing to be the defiant child that he was, Sasuke merely nodded slowly.  
  
“Hn.” Itachi let him go and continued to the front door, stepping out of the house to start the car.  
  
Once Itachi was out of sight, Sasuke let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. He turned and went to grab his bag and paused for a moment once the item in question was in his hands, glancing up at the stairs. His brows creased as he tried to think of a valid reason for outright _abandoning_ their home and precious belongings. Though, he knew if he asked his brother outright, he wouldn't receive an answer. Maybe Kakashi knew? The two were fairly close.  
  
Reluctantly, Sasuke turned away from the stairs and made his way to the door. He quickly made plans in his head to see the college freshman later that night after Itachi went to bed.  
  
The teen slipped his shoes back on and reached for the door knob. He glanced over his shoulder one last time, murmuring a sullen “I'm leaving” before opening the door and walking out of the house.  
  
He knew in the back of his mind that he would return to his childhood home one day. Itachi couldn't control every aspect of his life, try as he might. He wouldn't allow it.


	9. Running Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Heaven or Hell.

Sasuke glared at the door that guarded their new 'home,' as Itachi called it, before following him inside of the loft. He glanced around as he slipped off his shoes, not surprised to find it already furnished, every item in his sight screaming that it was brand new.  
  
His brows creased as he stepped toward the hall. Is this what Itachi had been doing the past three weeks, working overtime and buying furnishings for their 'home'? It would definitely explain why he had hardly seen his brother.  
  
“Your room is the first on the left, Sasuke.” Itachi said casually, setting the keys on their rack and setting his school bag down beside the front table.  
  
Sasuke spared his brother a glance over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall, noting that there were three rooms, two on the left – bedrooms, he assumed – and another in the center at the end of the hallway, and another to the right. With a shrug, Sasuke stepped into his room and stopped in the doorway.  
  
His room was completely furnished as well, and he didn't doubt that Itachi's own bedroom was too. Both the bed and desk were similar, if not the same, as the bed and desk that he had left behind at the house. The bag fell from his hand as he made his way over toward the closed and slid the door open, finding it filled with shirts in his size. The dresser behind him was most likely filled with pants and shorts, socks and underwear as well.  
  
Sasuke scowled and turned around to look for the bathroom. What was the point of even stopping at the house to begin with? Maybe Itachi needed to grab their prescriptions from the bathroom.  
  
One look behind the cabinet behind the mirror in the main bathroom was empty. Itachi seemed to have the master bedroom, so perhaps...  
  
The teen left the bathroom and made his way toward the bedroom at the center of the hallway that belonged to Itachi.  
  
“What are you looking for, Sasuke.” He flinched slightly and stopped just before the doorway, hearing Itachi's voice from the kitchen.  
  
“Nothing.” He lied, hoping that his brother's next response to be his usual 'hn.'  
  
“Then don't go into my room without permission. Finish your homework.” Sasuke clenched his teeth at being caught and turned to head back into his own room. Damn bastard always knew what he was up to. He couldn't even sneak in a freaking _snack_ before dinner.  
  
Sasuke kicked his bag further into his room before slamming the door behind him. He made a move to walk over to the abused lump of fabric, but paused as the window caught his eye. Curious, he walked over to it to see if there was a balcony or something below that he would be able to stand or land on safely.  
  
The teen smirked as he caught sight of the fire escape and opened the window. Now he just had to make sure that he was quiet while making his way out the window and down ladders.  
  
As he made his way down, he couldn't help but glance up every minute, just to make sure that Itachi wasn't poking his head out the window and demanded that he climb back up inside. Just the thought of being caught by his brother made his heart beat a little faster, adrenaline coursing through he veins.  
  
When he was close enough to the ground, Sasuke let go of the ladder and leapt the rest of the way down, holding his arms out straight and bending his knees as he touched the ground. He chanced another glance up toward his room, mentally sighing when he saw no heads poking out of windows.  
  
Not one for wasting time, Sasuke turned and started off in a sprint towards Kakashi's apartment. He only hoped the babysitter was home, otherwise the other tenants may call Itachi if he were seen waiting around for him, and that was something that Sasuke preferred to _not_ happen.  
  


*

  
  
Luckily, the teen ran into no trouble while running six blocks to Kakashi's apartment. He gave another mental sigh of relief as he climbed the stairs to Kakashi's floor. Sasuke had spotted the silver car that he knew belonged to him, which was definitely a good sign. For once, he luck was coming through.  
  
Sasuke glanced up at the silver '69' on Kakashi's door and rolled his eyes, easily recalling Kakashi's sex jokes he made whenever he would come to spend the night. He then knocked on the door and began to tap his foot impatiently on the ground.  
  
When two minutes had past and no answer came, Sasuke reached up to knock on the door again. As he did, the door finally opened, although partially, and revealed the top half of his babysitter's head.  
  
“Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework at your new loft?” The elder teen asked casually, not in the least surprised to see Sasuke at his doorstep.  
  
“Screw the homework and the damn loft. Let me stay the night.”  
  
“Hm.” Kakashi shifted so that he was standing fully straight, orange novel in his hand. He didn't appear to be listening.  
  
Sasuke felt his right eye twitch and simply shoved the door open before walking into the apartment. He didn't have the time for this.  
  
Kakashi simply closed the door behind the stomping teen and watched as he disappeared into the guest room. He let out a soft sigh as he closed the book. Kakashi figured that the Sasuke would react this way and was actually cooking one of the Uchiha's favorite meals when he knocked.  
  
“You're only staying until Itachi comes to get you, Sasuke.” Kakashi called out, returning to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.  
  
Being the rebellious teen that he was, Sasuke ignored whatever Kakashi had just said. Instead, he changed into more comfortable clothes that he usually wore when training. He needed to blow off steam, and this was the perfect way to do it (unless he was feeling masochistic, then he'd go and pick a fight).  
  


*

  
  
Itachi was not amused. Sasuke's room was empty, giving the perfect reason why there was no response when he called that dinner had been ready. His eyes scanned the room, finding his brother's bag in a lump in the middle of the floor and the window wide open.  
  
_'I suppose I'll just have to seal it shut.'_ Itachi mused, casually walking over to the window to close it. He then left the bedroom and pulled out his cell phone to call Kakashi. It was answered almost immediately on the second ring.  
  
_“Yo. Didn't take you long to find Sasuke missing.”_  
  
“Hn. You will have him waiting outside by the time I get there.” Without waiting for a response, the Uchiha hung up and left the loft to pick up his run away, moronic little brother.  
  


*

  
  
Kakashi was leaning against the counter reading his porn when the phone rang. Gray eyes flicked up to the caller ID on the wall, and sure enough, Itachi was the one calling. Not wanting to further add to his displeasure, Kakashi picked up his wireless and answered, “Yo. Didn't take you long to find Sasuke missing.” He shut his book for the second time in less than an hour and glanced over at the clock. It had only been five minutes since the thirteen-year-old's arrival.  
  
_“Hn. You will have him waiting outside by the time I get there.”_ Kakashi opened his mouth to respond, but a click and tone coming from the other end signaled that he had been hung up on.  
  
Sighing, Kakashi turned off the phone and pushed himself off of the counter. He had about three minutes to get Sasuke snapped out of his training mode (since he usually stopped by for just that), changed back into his school uniform, and outside the building. Sometimes, Itachi's time limits were just impossible.  
  
He didn't bother to knock as he opened the door to the guest room; they didn't have the luxury of time for knocking. He watched Sasuke for a split second before catching his ankle as he kicked into the air.  
  
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at his leg being caught in mid-air before they narrowed in a glare.  
  
“What the hell do you want. I'm busy.” He hated being disturbed whenever he was training, and Kakashi knew it. So why did his babysitter decide to do it now, of all the freaking times?  
  
“Itachi is on his way over. You need to be outside and changed in two minutes.” Sasuke paled a bit at the news of being found so quickly and took his leg back, Kakashi letting him and dropping his hand back to his side.  
  
“I can't do anything to hold him off, Sasuke, so don't ask me. This one is all you. Do as he says and he won't be as hard.” With that, Kakashi turned to leave room, ignoring the half-hearted glare he felt on his back.  
  
Cursing, Sasuke quickly stripped from his training clothes and back into his uniform. He didn't have time to make sure that he didn't look like he had just gotten some, and he didn't care how disheveled he looked. The teen grabbed his jacket and shoes, and ran out of the apartment, making his way down the stairs as fast as he could while slipping on his jacket.  
  
He turned the corner and came out of the building's hallways, panting for breath as he spotted his brother climb out of his car. Sasuke swallowed past the lump in his dry throat before approaching him.  
  
“Get in.” Sasuke hesitated slightly at the sharp command before nodding, obediently climbing into his brother's car before Itachi pulled out, making his way back to their loft.  
  
As expected, the drive was silent, albeit a tense one. Sasuke almost wished that they were going back home instead of the loft, if only for the shorter drive. Actually, he should've ran the four extra blocks back home. Nothing that he could do about it now, though. What's done was done and he would be lucky to wake up in the morning without any bruises.  
  
Itachi parked the car and got out silently and Sasuke followed suit. When he was close enough, Itachi grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him along, ignoring the soft hiss of pain and stumbling of feet that came from Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke tugged slightly at his arm, only to have Itachi's grip tighten. Itachi did not let go of Sasuke until they reached the loft, where he calmly unlocked the door before tossing Sasuke inside.  
  
The younger teen didn't have time to catch his footing before he stumbled over the first step and their slippers, falling onto the wood floor with a dull thud. Itachi paid him no mind as he followed him inside and removed his shoes as if nothing had happened.  
  
A hand reached out to his arm, placing it gently over the tender skin as Sasuke got back to his feet. He glanced at his brother cautiously, awaiting his punishment. His brother only passed him by as he made his way into the kitchen to put away Sasuke's meal.  
  
He followed him into the kitchen and opened his mouth to question him, but shut it as Itachi spoke.  
  
“You will go to your room. If I should find that you are missing a second time, I will drag you back and lock you in your room.” It was a promise, not a threat, and Sasuke knew it. The teen nodded silently and walked back to his room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.  
  
He couldn't help but let out a sigh before sinking down to the floor. He couldn't believe the stunt he had just pulled, how cowardly it was. Uchihas did not run; they faced their problems head on, even if it meant risking their lives. His lip muscles tugged weakly as he gave a weak grin. His father would be disappointed in him, no doubt.  
  
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he sat there. He would simply have to make sure that he would no longer experience any lapses of judgment. The price wasn't worth it, even if Itachi was focused on only him for that short period in time.


End file.
